The present invention relates generally to waterbeds, and more particularly to a device for securing sheets and the like in place on a waterbed.
Most waterbeds have a sturdy flat bottom which supports a box-like frame made from wooden boards lying on edge and fastened together at the four corners of the frame. This structure contains and supports a fluid-holding mattress. The mattress is essentially a water-filled flexible bag, usually made of a sheet plastics material. Ordinarily, a heater maintains the water at a desired temperature and chemicals are used to prevent growth of algae within the mattress.
Because waterbeds provide a great deal of comfort and in their basic form are less expensive than conventional bedding, waterbeds are becoming increasingly popular. It is also recognized that the support provided by a waterbed is often more appropriate for a person suffering from arthritis or back ailments, and this factor also contributes to the increasing popularity of waterbeds.
A particular disadvantage of waterbeds, however, in comparison with conventional boxspring and mattress bedding, is that it is very difficult to hold the sheets in place along the edges and corners of the waterbed mattress. Although the bed may be made up neatly, as soon as one rests on the waterbed, the sheets begin to bunch up and pull away from the edges of the waterbed mattress.
The tendency for the sheets to come loose from a waterbed has been countered previously by using very large sheets with plenty of extra material that can be tucked under the mattress, by providing diagonal straps on the corners of a waterbed sheet, and by providing specially designed sheets including pockets at their corners for use on waterbeds. While such devices are useful on conventional mattresses, they fail to solve efficiently the problem of sheets coming loose from waterbeds.
The problem is particularly serious with top sheets. Accordingly, top and bottom sheets are sometimes provided as a sewn-together combination. While this helps solve the problem of the sheets becoming loose from the bed, it results in a bed sheet over 12 feet in length, which is very difficult to launder.
The above-described sheets designed particularly for waterbeds are also difficult to fit on waterbed mattresses, because of the great weight of the water contained in a waterbed mattress. In order to tuck a pocket portion of a waterbed sheet around a mattress corner, a considerable amount of water must be lifted. This usually requires that one bend over the bed, which is at best, an awkward and difficult task.
Other devices for holding waterbed sheets in place attach to the frame of the waterbed. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,838,470 and 4,089,075 show two such devices, but these devices are not particularly well-adapted to being added to existing waterbeds. Another attempted solution to the problem uses frame attaching devices which interconnect with buttonholes provided in special waterbed sheets, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,486,909 to McKneelen. U.S. Pat. No. 4,040,133 to Gilreath addresses the problem with a strap of plastic film having one end held under the mattress of a waterbed by the weight of the mattress for holding special sheets, etc., equipped with hook-and-loop fasteners of the well-known type available under the trademark Velcro.
Another device for holding ordinary flat sheets in place is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,240 to Hutton et al. Although this device would appear to work well, its installation requires a screw or similar fastener to pierce the liner of the waterbed frame, causing some reluctance to install the device.
Another device (also patented by Hutton in U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,543) for holding sheets in place on a waterbed utilizes a fastener for gripping the sheet and an elongate elastic connector attached to the fastener which is held in a desired location by a retainer member. The retainer member is placed beneath the waterbed mattress and held in place by friction and adhesion between the retainer and the liner and water-filled mattress. Under ordinary conditions of use, the device would appear to work as intended. However, under severe conditions of use, i.e. pulling hard on the sheets, the device could be pulled out of its position under the mattress since it is held in place only by friction and adhesion, i.e. it is not physically secured to the waterbed frame. It would also be difficult to install after the mattress is filled with water since it would require that one lift up the rather heavy water-filled corner of the waterbed mattress. The device is also only disclosed for use at the corners of a waterbed. It is not clear whether this device would work along the sides of a waterbed which is another problematic area where the sheets pull away from the mattress.
In view thereof, a need still exists for an inexpensive and easily installed device which can securely hold waterbed sheets in place along the sides of the waterbed, and whose installation does not require that the waterbed liner be pierced.